Orchis mascula
Early-purple Orchid
Species Details
An attractive native perennial of grasslands and woods, generally on base-rich soils. It is frequent in the White Peak [Laughman Tor SK1077; Cressbrook Dale SK1774; Middleton Moor SK2655] and on the Magnesian Limestone [Pleasley SK5165; Ginny Springs SK5278]. In the grasslands of the White Peak it can be common enough to turn the dale sides purple in spring, but in northern Derbyshire it is only found sporadically [Windmill Field SK3959]. It did formerly occur in southern Derbyshire [Hartshorne SK3222 in 1977; Ticknall Quarry SK3624 in 1966], but this loss is sadly part of a more general decline in central England due to agricultural intensification (Preston XXet al. 2002).
